sustentation

[ suhs-tuhn-tey-shuhn ]
See synonyms for: sustentationsustentative on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. maintenance in being or activity; the sustaining of life through vital processes.

  2. provision with means or funds for upkeep.

  1. means of sustaining life; sustenance.

Origin of sustentation

1
1350–1400; Middle English <Latin sustentātiōn- (stem of sustentātiō) an upholding, equivalent to sustentāt(us) (past participle of sustentāre, frequentative of sustinēre to sustain) + -iōn--ion

Other words from sustentation

  • sus·ten·ta·tion·al, adjective
  • sus·ten·ta·tive [suhs-tuhn-tey-tiv, suh-sten-tuh-tiv], /ˈsʌs tənˌteɪ tɪv, səˈstɛn tə tɪv/, adjective
  • self-sus·ten·ta·tion, noun

Words Nearby sustentation

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use sustentation in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for sustentation

sustentation

/ (ˌsʌstɛnˈteɪʃən) /


noun
  1. a less common word for sustenance

Origin of sustentation

1
C14: from Latin sustentātio, from sustentāre, frequentative of sustinēre to sustain

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012